Evidence-Based Policing Matrix

The Matrix

What strategies can be effective in reducing crime and disorder in policing? The Evidence-Based Policing Matrix is a research-to-practice translation tool that organizes moderate to very rigorous evaluations of police interventions visually, allowing agencies and researchers to view the field of research in this area. The Matrix is updated withall qualifying studies each year.

The Matrix categorizes and visualizes evaluated police tactics according to three common dimensions of crime prevention – the nature of the target, the extent to which the strategy is proactive or reactive, and the specificity or generality of the strategy (see theMatrix Key to learn more). This visualization reveals clusters of studies within intersecting dimensions, or “realms of effectiveness.” These realms provide insights into the nature and commonalities of effective (or not effective) police strategies and can be used by police agencies to develop tactics and strategies or assess their tactical portfolio against the evidence. Click the “enlarge” button under each target type to view a summary of studies and their findings, and access summaries of individual studies within each cluster. For more information: